A vehement protest action preceded a conference hosted in the European Parliament’s building in Brussels by RMDSZ MEP Csaba Sógor on the Turkish minority in Greece. Right before the start of the conference entitled Freedom of association in Greece - a loophole in European minority rights standards MEPs of the Greek far-right tried to disrupt the conference by using violent language and claiming that there is no Turkish minority in Greece - a fact, which according to Csaba Sógor only demonstrates how real the problems of ethnic minorities are in Greece.

Swept under the carpet – Minority rights in Central and Eastern Europe after the EU accession – This was the title of a round table discussion held on February 24th in the European Parliament to commemorate International Mother Tongue Day and organised by Csaba Sógor RMDSZ MEP in the European Parliament on 24 February. Host of the event opened the discussion saying: "Those who want to exercise their rights to use their mother tongue are exposed to the persecution of the authorities on a daily basis in Romania. The state does not guarantee conditions for the application of the law, and yet Romania considers it has solved the national minority issues in an exemplary manner."

The failure of the European Union as regards the efficient tackling of the refugee crisis has largely been triggered by the fact that European leaders disregarded their own decisions and the relevant European regulations. This is the conclusion expressed by MEP Iuliu Winkler (UDMR, EPP) in his written declaration submitted during the debate on the refugee crisis, the protection of EU´s external borders and the future of the Schengen Area, Tuesday night, in the European Parliament’s (EP) Plenary session in Strasbourg.

According to Csaba Sógor candidate countries should fulfil the commitments before becoming member states. Romania is yet to adopt the minority protection law approved by the government in 2005, before the EU accession – pointed out Csaba Sógor during the Wednesday afternoon plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Hungarian community of Arad commemorated former mayor Gyula Salacz and actor Pál Jávor on the 31st of January. Gyula Salacz was mayor for 26 years (1875-1901). He strongly contributed towards the economic revitalisation of the economy and the preservation of its cultural values. The Hungarian community of Arad also remembered actor Pál Jávor, imprisoned in 1944 for refusing to give out his Jewish wife’s whereabouts.

The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the European Union and Kosovo is to come into force, after the European Parliament voted on the proposal on the 21st of January. In the opinion of RMDSZ MEP Csaba Sógor the agreement deals with minority protection issues only in general terms, which is not enough as experience shows.

Members of the European Parliament call for an increase in women's entrepreneurial activity. In 2012 only 31 percent of entrepreneurs within the European Union are women – states the EP in its report adopted in Strasbourg, on January 19th.

The Dutch EU Presidency plays a crucial role in the harmonization of national positions of Member States (MS) on the matter of the refugees; the primary aim is to safeguard the Schengen area, claimed Iuliu Winkler in his written declaration which he addressed to the European Parliament´s plenary during the debates this Wednesday targeting the Dutch Presidency´s priorities for the upcoming six months.